[VoiceOps] Unique DIDs vs. Custom extensions

[Mark R Lindsey]

You don't need a call routing platform: you need call routing data.  

As much fun as it is to build new systems, that might not be your need.

> On Sep 15, 2015, at 11:58 , Rafael Possamai <rafaelpossa at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> I was tasked to design a system that would give each end user a unique DID from a pool of about 1,000 DIDs total. Every inbound call to a DID would then be forward to the end-users actual phone number (office, mobile, etc..).
> 
> WIth that in mind, to me it looks like a big waste of DIDs, and I could use custom extensions instead, with a single DID for everyone. Each end-user is assigned a 5 digit code (an extension pretty much) and gets re-routed accordingly. I believe using Asterisk and/or FreePBX I could still collected all the data that is needed.

The two-stage process will give you different results from having DIDs.

Calling into an IVR/Auto Attendant and entering an extension is going to be considered old school for a lot of folks. In the US, almost everybody has a DID listed on their business card or advertisement. Otherwise you're signaling that you'd like to keep the caller at a distance; "I'm not going to let you ring my phone directly; I'm going to send you through a gauntlet of call transfers".

PSTN DIDs aren't a scarce resource unless you require them all to have 212 area codes (for example of a big city).

> Estimated inbound minutes is 500,000 a month, so that requires another 500,000 outbound minutes because each call is forwarded. One million minutes a month does turn out to be expensive, close to U$8,000/month from some quotes that I have gotten.

Rather than building it yourself, you could use somebody else's platform -- if they'll give you access to the billing data and give you the call-forwarding options you need. 

	-- PhonePower offers business-oriented service with unlimited minutes
	-- Phonebooth <http://phonebooth.com/> (a Bandwidth.com <http://bandwidth.com/> company) has unlimited minutes

I'd recommend you contact these guys directly and explain your need. They all have technical people on this list.




    --- mark at ecg.co
        +1-229-316-0013
        http://ecg.co/lindsey

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://puck.nether.net/pipermail/voiceops/attachments/20150915/7753da51/attachment.html>